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Long story short, my OBX is on its last legs. Despite multiple rebuild attempts with different spring washer configurations, it just pounds itself to death. I honestly can't blame it, as I've gotten more than my money's worth out of it over they YEARS of abuse. Currently, I've got radial play in both output shafts which is causing some oil leaking, as well as generating a ton of noise. Further, there's zero preload, so I can't be sure how effective it is once the inside becomes slightly unloaded. All I know is: in the past 4 events it's deteriorated noticeably.
On to the discussion....
Price is always a concern, but not nearly as much as performance and longevity. From a quick look, my search has found the following options:
1. OS Giken: At $1600, this is the most expensive diff. It's also reportedly one of the best, as we've recently been beaten by an OS Giken sponsored C6 Z06. I'm not satisfied when someone with twice my power and tire (and is likely a better driver) is faster, so I'll blame it on the diff. The OS bills itself out as having a crazy number of clutch plates for smooth engagement and high locking power, but is it worth the extra expense?
2. Carbonetic: At $1230, this slots itself right in the price range I'm looking at. Chris Travis had one from when it was ATS in his SM Civic, which is arguably the most successful SM Civic (in the world). The few reviews I've found have said it's just better for road racing than metal plated diffs, which seems to be just regurgitation of Carbonetic's advertisement of the carbon clutch plates. If it's even close to being on par with the OS Giken, this seems like the best bet.
3. Quaife: $1300 for a better version of my OBX. Mike Shields fought with his for a long time, despite still being fast enough to take multiple DSP National titles. I'm not sure I could do the same while trying to put down even more power, but in theory I can adjust suspension to compensate and keep the rear planted, and if it works it'd be the longest lasting, most neutral handling diff.
Comments or other suggestions would be very welcome. Trying to just nail this down quickly so I can hopefully have a diff installed in a week from now.
On to the discussion....
Price is always a concern, but not nearly as much as performance and longevity. From a quick look, my search has found the following options:
1. OS Giken: At $1600, this is the most expensive diff. It's also reportedly one of the best, as we've recently been beaten by an OS Giken sponsored C6 Z06. I'm not satisfied when someone with twice my power and tire (and is likely a better driver) is faster, so I'll blame it on the diff. The OS bills itself out as having a crazy number of clutch plates for smooth engagement and high locking power, but is it worth the extra expense?
2. Carbonetic: At $1230, this slots itself right in the price range I'm looking at. Chris Travis had one from when it was ATS in his SM Civic, which is arguably the most successful SM Civic (in the world). The few reviews I've found have said it's just better for road racing than metal plated diffs, which seems to be just regurgitation of Carbonetic's advertisement of the carbon clutch plates. If it's even close to being on par with the OS Giken, this seems like the best bet.
3. Quaife: $1300 for a better version of my OBX. Mike Shields fought with his for a long time, despite still being fast enough to take multiple DSP National titles. I'm not sure I could do the same while trying to put down even more power, but in theory I can adjust suspension to compensate and keep the rear planted, and if it works it'd be the longest lasting, most neutral handling diff.
Comments or other suggestions would be very welcome. Trying to just nail this down quickly so I can hopefully have a diff installed in a week from now.
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